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The American Geological Survey #1
Afterburn
“An exciting and original addition to the urban fantasy genre.” Adrian Phoenix, Author of the Maker’s Song Series.
Vallon Drake, secret agent of the American Geological Survey, finds her latest partner entombed in the wall of a parking garage that didn’t exist just a few hours earlier.
The AGS protects America from the changes that foreign terrorists and the Gifted population can make to the landscape, but now Vallon must investigate not only a series of agent deaths, but also a mysterious, desert-scented, stranger with power beyond anything she knows. With his help, Vallon must unravel clues to her own past or leave Seattle the victim of a power beyond even hers to control.
Vallon Drake, secret agent of the American Geological Survey, finds her latest partner entombed in the wall of a parking garage that didn’t exist just a few hours earlier.
The AGS protects America from the changes that foreign terrorists and the Gifted population can make to the landscape, but now Vallon must investigate not only a series of agent deaths, but also a mysterious, desert-scented, stranger with power beyond anything she knows. With his help, Vallon must unravel clues to her own past or leave Seattle the victim of a power beyond even hers to control.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published March 19, 2011
43 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Karen L. Abrahamson
102 books34 followersKaren L. Abrahamson, writes in almost every genre to take readers into other times, exotic places, and settings that are figments of her prodigious imagination. Whether writing a modern-day mystery, a fantasy set in an alternate world, or romance involving ghosts, psychics or occult possession, many of her novels feature women’s adventures and sensuous romance with strong, passionate male and female protagonists. Karen’s work has been described by national bestselling and top five romance author of the year, M.L. Buchman as having “connection to culture and … powerful characters (that) make an incredible story.”
Her bestselling Cartographer urban fantasy series features Vallon Drake, secret agent of the American Geological Survey, keeping America safe from domestic and international terrorist magicians who can rewrite the country simply by redrawing the map.
About her UNLOCKING, romantic suspense series, Karen aims to give readers the same sense of family and place she got from reading Nora Robert’s Three Sisters Island or Blue Dahlia trilogies.
Writing as K.L. Abrahamson, Karen draws on her background in the criminal justice system to craft short stories and novels about amateur sleuths as well as police procedurals.
She lives on the west coast of Canada with bears, bald eagles and the ocean as neighbors.
Her bestselling Cartographer urban fantasy series features Vallon Drake, secret agent of the American Geological Survey, keeping America safe from domestic and international terrorist magicians who can rewrite the country simply by redrawing the map.
About her UNLOCKING, romantic suspense series, Karen aims to give readers the same sense of family and place she got from reading Nora Robert’s Three Sisters Island or Blue Dahlia trilogies.
Writing as K.L. Abrahamson, Karen draws on her background in the criminal justice system to craft short stories and novels about amateur sleuths as well as police procedurals.
She lives on the west coast of Canada with bears, bald eagles and the ocean as neighbors.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 4, 2018
It’s been a long time since it took me a month to read a book. A lot of factors went into taking so long, outside and the fact that it’s a different type of story to what I typically read. That said, once I really got into the book, about halfway I’d say, I had a hard time putting it down and I proceeded to recommend it to my mom without having finished it and I fully intend to read the next book in the series. And I’ll say this, the presence throughout was not who I expected.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Voracious Readers Only.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Voracious Readers Only.
April 11, 2018
I received this book from Voracious Readers for an honest review. This started with a pretty good hook with the murder of Simon. The magic was introduced right away with how Vallon is able to manipulate her power. I found this interesting as a tool and a different aspect of magic use. I really enjoyed the fact that magic users lived in "our world". The book continued to pick up steam as the story continued. There were a couple of predictable things but otherwise the story was good and kept you guessing as to what was happening in the larger scope of things. I am looking forward to reading the second installment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2018
Very involved
Vallon Drake is much more than just an agent with the Gift. She is stronger and more dangerous. Why, not sure yet. She must ultimately save Seattle, while defeating someone who can control an element. The strange man who appeared said he was her guardian, but really? There was an immediate attraction that she couldn't explain, and it wasn't the afterburn.
I found this an interesting read, but very complex. The writer has very good imagination and it exploded here. This is not my usual read, but it caught my attention. Many will like the intricacies of the storyline and the subtle growth of the characters.
Read on my friends.
Vallon Drake is much more than just an agent with the Gift. She is stronger and more dangerous. Why, not sure yet. She must ultimately save Seattle, while defeating someone who can control an element. The strange man who appeared said he was her guardian, but really? There was an immediate attraction that she couldn't explain, and it wasn't the afterburn.
I found this an interesting read, but very complex. The writer has very good imagination and it exploded here. This is not my usual read, but it caught my attention. Many will like the intricacies of the storyline and the subtle growth of the characters.
Read on my friends.
June 3, 2017
An interesting idea - I guess that explains that feeling of deja vue you get when you're in certain locations. It really was different looking before! Nice strong heroine, well built characters, great setting. Would be great to see more interaction with other "branch" offices or even international offices, as they now know its not an exclusive to North America mutation. Perhaps that is in a future version of the series, will have to keep reading.
January 29, 2018
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
This is a favourite genre of mine and I welcomed a lead character, Vallon Drake, who has a wholly different power to any I have encountered before. The ability to manipulate the topography of any given area.
Everyone who has this ability must join the secret and secretive American Geological Survey Organisation based in Seattle, USA. The Organisation itself is fighting against the powers that be who are trying to amalgamate it into Homeland Security by any means possible.
The storyline starts with the murder of Vallon's work partner. The crime scene proves that another who has this ability is responsible. Vallon becomes the number one suspect of the police. The plot is fast paced and driven by Vallon's actions and inactions as she investigates to identify the murderer. She encounters a sinister presence, allies and adversaries or both and some unnerving situations along the way culminating in an epic battle in an attempt to save the city from a rogue agent. It kept me interested enough to read into the early hours.
The only criticism I have is the side effect that occurs to Vallon after she has used her power. I felt it was repetitive in it's explanation which was annoying and I couldn't understand the point of it. At the end of the book there is a scenario that mentions this side effect and perhaps some reason for it? Time will tell as this is book one of the series and I am interested enough to read further.
This is a favourite genre of mine and I welcomed a lead character, Vallon Drake, who has a wholly different power to any I have encountered before. The ability to manipulate the topography of any given area.
Everyone who has this ability must join the secret and secretive American Geological Survey Organisation based in Seattle, USA. The Organisation itself is fighting against the powers that be who are trying to amalgamate it into Homeland Security by any means possible.
The storyline starts with the murder of Vallon's work partner. The crime scene proves that another who has this ability is responsible. Vallon becomes the number one suspect of the police. The plot is fast paced and driven by Vallon's actions and inactions as she investigates to identify the murderer. She encounters a sinister presence, allies and adversaries or both and some unnerving situations along the way culminating in an epic battle in an attempt to save the city from a rogue agent. It kept me interested enough to read into the early hours.
The only criticism I have is the side effect that occurs to Vallon after she has used her power. I felt it was repetitive in it's explanation which was annoying and I couldn't understand the point of it. At the end of the book there is a scenario that mentions this side effect and perhaps some reason for it? Time will tell as this is book one of the series and I am interested enough to read further.
July 5, 2011
Really fun and original urban fantasy novel, with a tough heroine and one of the most fascinating worlds I've read about in a long time. Once I got past the initial confusion as to Karen Abrahamson's version of Seattle, I was completely hooked on the world and its characters, and read the entire story in 24 hours.
The idea of redrawing the "map" of the world in kind of a cold war stalemate occurring between and within countries totally fascinated me. Rather than a "magical" world, this felt very grounded and real to me...I found myself sucked into the power struggles between this off-shoot of Homeland Security and the rest of the agency, as well as between the different characters within the branch itself.
The main character, Vallon Drake, is an agent of the GSA and one of the "gifted" tasked with holding the nation's boundaries and correcting accidental changes to the landscape by nascent gifted who are unaware of their abilities. In her world, if one is gifted they can access an ability to remake the physical...erase a house or change a building into a parking lot with some basic tools and their inherent abilities. But woe to the person (or people) who happen to be inside the building being redrawn! The story opens with Vallon looking for a colleague of hers who is caught in just this predicament. While trying to save his life, she ends up a murder suspect, and in the course of trying to clear her name uncovers a wider plot to destroy the NW coast of the United States.
It's a fun ride, and I'm really looking forward to more books in this world!
The idea of redrawing the "map" of the world in kind of a cold war stalemate occurring between and within countries totally fascinated me. Rather than a "magical" world, this felt very grounded and real to me...I found myself sucked into the power struggles between this off-shoot of Homeland Security and the rest of the agency, as well as between the different characters within the branch itself.
The main character, Vallon Drake, is an agent of the GSA and one of the "gifted" tasked with holding the nation's boundaries and correcting accidental changes to the landscape by nascent gifted who are unaware of their abilities. In her world, if one is gifted they can access an ability to remake the physical...erase a house or change a building into a parking lot with some basic tools and their inherent abilities. But woe to the person (or people) who happen to be inside the building being redrawn! The story opens with Vallon looking for a colleague of hers who is caught in just this predicament. While trying to save his life, she ends up a murder suspect, and in the course of trying to clear her name uncovers a wider plot to destroy the NW coast of the United States.
It's a fun ride, and I'm really looking forward to more books in this world!
November 9, 2013
I’ve read several entries in Karen Abrahamson’s Cartographer Universe series and I love the originality of the premise and the interesting characters in the stories. She’s created a system of magic that has inhabited the Earth for millennia, and she has the stories to prove it.
The American Geological Society is an organization charged with making sure that the country remains stable—geographically speaking. Because there are people, the “Gifted,” who can rewrite the landscape, even without knowing it, and it’s the job of the AGS agents to make sure that doesn’t happen.
In Afterburn, Vallon Drake is an agent of the AGS when she finds her ex-partner dead in a parking garage that wasn’t there yesterday, and she’s suddenly catapulted into a world of mysterious, powerful strangers, enemies from her past, and the potential destruction of everything she loves.
I love the grittiness of the setting, the incredible odds against Vallon, and the fact that she is too busy trying to save the world to worry about being nice.
The American Geological Society is an organization charged with making sure that the country remains stable—geographically speaking. Because there are people, the “Gifted,” who can rewrite the landscape, even without knowing it, and it’s the job of the AGS agents to make sure that doesn’t happen.
In Afterburn, Vallon Drake is an agent of the AGS when she finds her ex-partner dead in a parking garage that wasn’t there yesterday, and she’s suddenly catapulted into a world of mysterious, powerful strangers, enemies from her past, and the potential destruction of everything she loves.
I love the grittiness of the setting, the incredible odds against Vallon, and the fact that she is too busy trying to save the world to worry about being nice.
July 5, 2011
Karen Abrahamson crafts a superb fantasy thriller with a spicy note of romance thrown into the mix.
Vallon Drake's one of the Gifted, a woman with the power to 'edit' the world so that buildings, neighborhoods, or entire landscapes can come into - or be erased out - of existence. This gives rise to a fun and entertaining conceit: that the American Geological Survey is in fact the most powerful group in the Homeland Security agency.
But Vallon's faith in the agency and her powers are challenged the night that one of her fellow agents - and a recent ex-boyfriend - is murdered. Specifically, murdered by someone with that same awe-inspiring cartographic ability.
Afterburn's an original and engrossing take on urban fantasy. It'll keep you reading through the night as Vallon must solve the case...and in the process, put her life and loyalties to the test.
Vallon Drake's one of the Gifted, a woman with the power to 'edit' the world so that buildings, neighborhoods, or entire landscapes can come into - or be erased out - of existence. This gives rise to a fun and entertaining conceit: that the American Geological Survey is in fact the most powerful group in the Homeland Security agency.
But Vallon's faith in the agency and her powers are challenged the night that one of her fellow agents - and a recent ex-boyfriend - is murdered. Specifically, murdered by someone with that same awe-inspiring cartographic ability.
Afterburn's an original and engrossing take on urban fantasy. It'll keep you reading through the night as Vallon must solve the case...and in the process, put her life and loyalties to the test.
September 8, 2011
Karen Abrahamson's "Afterburn" is an urban fantasy with an original premise: There are people out there who can reshape our world simply with vellum and ink. Many of these "Gifted" work for the GSA and keep the nation's borders in their proper place.
The world and the characters are well drawn, especially the heroine, Vallon Drake. Vallon finds herself in the center of a power struggle in the Department of Homeland Security (which wants to control the GSA)and a murder suspect to boot.
Along the way, she uncovers a plot to destroy Seattle and must find a way to put a stop to it while dodging those who want to arrest or detain her.
The book is fast paced and while the romance was "spicier" then I like, overall the writing is fantastic. I hope this is not the last we see of Vallon Drake!
The world and the characters are well drawn, especially the heroine, Vallon Drake. Vallon finds herself in the center of a power struggle in the Department of Homeland Security (which wants to control the GSA)and a murder suspect to boot.
Along the way, she uncovers a plot to destroy Seattle and must find a way to put a stop to it while dodging those who want to arrest or detain her.
The book is fast paced and while the romance was "spicier" then I like, overall the writing is fantastic. I hope this is not the last we see of Vallon Drake!
January 26, 2012
Karen Abrahamson's Afterburn is a grab-you-by-the-collar, won't-let-go urban fantasy with a compelling heroine in Vallon Drake. She does what she believes to be right no matter the consequences.
Vallon's agency polices the changes caused by "Gifted" with the ability to reshape the world. With agents dying and a battle shaping up between her agency and Homeland Security, Vallon must solve the mystery of a new force more powerful than anyone has encountered to save her friends, her love, herself, and hundreds of thousands of innocents.
Rich with original magic and a gritty, well-drawn world, and spiced with mystery, suspense, and sexy romance, Afterburn is a hell of a read.
Looking forward to the next Vallon Drake book!
Vallon's agency polices the changes caused by "Gifted" with the ability to reshape the world. With agents dying and a battle shaping up between her agency and Homeland Security, Vallon must solve the mystery of a new force more powerful than anyone has encountered to save her friends, her love, herself, and hundreds of thousands of innocents.
Rich with original magic and a gritty, well-drawn world, and spiced with mystery, suspense, and sexy romance, Afterburn is a hell of a read.
Looking forward to the next Vallon Drake book!
July 3, 2011
Gripping fun. Abrahamson has created an exciting new entry into the fantasy genre with characters who can call on the power of the earth to redraw reality with vellum and ink. And she's got a great kick-ass heroine leading the charge.
I was totally into the magic, the characters, the politics of Homeland Security trying to draw the Gifted into their fold. It's an engrossing read with a mind-blowing climax that will have you rethinking just how safe you are if you live in any of nature's danger zones.
Looking forward to the next book with Vallon Drake!
I was totally into the magic, the characters, the politics of Homeland Security trying to draw the Gifted into their fold. It's an engrossing read with a mind-blowing climax that will have you rethinking just how safe you are if you live in any of nature's danger zones.
Looking forward to the next book with Vallon Drake!
March 7, 2016
Good book
Good storyline, kept my interest, looking forward to reading more of her book, would recommend to my friends enjoyed reading this book
Good storyline, kept my interest, looking forward to reading more of her book, would recommend to my friends enjoyed reading this book
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews